Amouage vs Xerjoff

I never tried anything by Xerjoff and just got interested in Amouage. I know both are expensive and I know what some of the Amouages smell like. Most of which I have samped are quite opulent and got a middle east-vibe (some more than others). As Xerjoff seems to be an italian company I guess their fragrances are somewhat "lighter" and more "european"? How would you rank these two houses in terms of quality and diversity?

If you could choose only one fragrance from each house, which two would it be?

If you had to choose one house and live with that decision forever, which house would you choose?

Re: Amouage vs Xerjoff

I honestly haven't the whole Xerjoff line, hell I don't even remember what I tried, though I remember vanilla in most of them, so much for high quality exotic ingredients. They have decent quality and complexity. Nowhere near Amouage in my humble opinion. Some of Xerjoff packaging is also quite ugly, sure those expensive stone bottles they use are made of lovely stone, but the designs are just...meh, compared to Amouage sophisticated bottles, yeah.

Having said that I obviously chose Amouage and would chose Amouage Dia. Again, I hardly tried Xerjoff, but judging from the little memory, their notes and bottle design, meh.

Re: Amouage vs Xerjoff

Re: Amouage vs Xerjoff

I've tried them both extensively and for me it's Amouage, no doubt. Xerjoff may actually use more natural citruses and such, and they do have a much more reserved feel and approach (Xerjoff is actually more like a higher quality Creed, while Amouage is far more opulent in style and also has a far more developed and cohesive style, including things such as concepts and back stories regarding scents, etc).

I found many of the Xerjoffs to be 'top loaded' - the openings and first hour smell great, but then a disappointingly synthetic or plain base would move to the forefront and while not terrible on its own, it seemed even worse than it was because of the very nice openings. Amouage, as a whole, are far more consistent in the feel of their quality from opening to drydown, even though their openings are not usually as natural.

If I could only choose one.. oh boy, that's tough. I guess I'd have to say Reflection Man but I would really REALLY miss both Opus II and Lyric Man.

I do think Xerjoff have a few really good scents and that as a house they are worth checking out. But between the two, I'd choose Amouage, no contest.

Re: Amouage vs Xerjoff

Originally Posted by SculptureOfSoul

I've tried them both extensively and for me it's Amouage, no doubt. Xerjoff may actually use more natural citruses and such, and they do have a much more reserved feel and approach (Xerjoff is actually more like a higher quality Creed, while Amouage is far more opulent in style and also has a far more developed and cohesive style, including things such as concepts and back stories regarding scents, etc).

I found many of the Xerjoffs to be 'top loaded' - the openings and first hour smell great, but then a disappointingly synthetic or plain base would move to the forefront and while not terrible on its own, it seemed even worse than it was because of the very nice openings. Amouage, as a whole, are far more consistent in the feel of their quality from opening to drydown, even though their openings are not usually as natural.

If I could only choose one.. oh boy, that's tough. I guess I'd have to say Reflection Man but I would really REALLY miss both Opus II and Lyric Man.

I do think Xerjoff have a few really good scents and that as a house they are worth checking out. But between the two, I'd choose Amouage, no contest.

Ahh you actually reminded of a few points I missed. Xerjoff is high quality, but high quality Vanilla/Citrus...etc, there's no big variation in these notes. Unlike, say, Rose, Amouage Taifi rose shadows your run of the mill fragrances rose notes. Also, Amouage are unique, many people claim they're middle eastern, but as for someone from the middle east, sure they have a middle eastern touch, and they're strong, unisex and non-conservative which is very middle eastern. But really, they're still far from anything western, middle eastern (traditional or contemporary) I've ever smelled, they're very unique without pretentiously trying to be so.

Re: Amouage vs Xerjoff

Tricky one. I've owned all of the men's Amouage right up until Lyric, which was the first one I didn't like. From then on for me they've gone downhill, so based on that Xerjoff wins hands down, simply because they have more in their line up that I like and use.

Re: Amouage vs Xerjoff

Amouage without a doubt.

"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical...It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government." -Thomas Jefferson

Re: Amouage vs Xerjoff

Originally Posted by irrbloss

As Xerjoff seems to be an italian company I guess their fragrances are somewhat "lighter" and more "european"?

I like neither Amouage nor Xerjoff, though they are both very high quality. To me it feels like a world class orchestra playing a rather mundane symphony. That said Xerjoff is a bit lighter, but also a bit more boring. The scents are marketed towards people with a lot of money who don’t want to find anything unpleasent in the Murano glass flacons. To me they seem flat – with the exception of Homme which is a very good leather scent similar to the smell of a new car.

Re: Amouage vs Xerjoff

No comparison. Granted I haven't tried the entire Xerjoff line, but those I have tried are dull and uninspired compositions, priced as to make Amouage's pricing structure look almost "reasonable."

I too find the Xerjoff scents that I have tried quite uninspired. Certainly for the quality of materials they claim to use and the price, I expect more complexity, a longer and more interesting drydown, and better longevity.

I find the older Amouage fragrances very much to my liking. It would be difficult to choose only one from their collection as there is quite a variety, both in notes and weight of the overall construction. I suppose, if I really had to pick just one, it would probably be Amouage Gold Woman.

Re: Amouage vs Xerjoff

I'm a fan of several Amouage scents and have an affintiy for the house in general whereas I have only tried one Xerjoff so no comment, really.

That said, I did order a second sample of Dhofar and I like it enough but I'm looking at it in relation to other 'new fougeres' like MDCI Invasion Barbare, Opus II and Brioni, as well as anticipating the new old Houbigant, and at some point I've got to ask myself if the pricing justifies Dhofar in the face of these . . . I'm not sure it does, frankly, nice as it is.

Re: Amouage vs Xerjoff

Price-wise the offerings from these 2 houses might be similar, but I don't think their styles are easily comparable. Would you compare Creed to By Kilian? In the end it comes down to personal preferences. I enjoy Jubilation XXV, Epic Man and Dia Man from Amouage. But I also enjoy Nio, Dhofar & Uden from Xerjoff's Shooting Star line. If we have to split hairs, I'd say Amouage has the edge in terms of more cohesive compositions. Xerjoff really smells of high quality ingredients but I too share concerns over possible 'toploading' - the drydowns on the Xerjoffs I've sampled felt alarmingly thin, but these were not heavy orientals to begin with.